「瑠璃光寺五重塔」山口県・"Ruriko-ji Five-storied Pagoda" Yamaguchi Pref

「瑠璃光寺五重塔」山口県山口市

山口大内氏の風雅な文化を伝える室町時代1442年建立の五重塔と池泉回遊式庭園。高さ31.2メートルの五重塔（国宝）は檜皮葺の屋根を持ち和様で優雅ですがどこかに禅宗的な厳しさもたたえています。瑠璃光寺は廃寺となり五重塔だけが残りその敷地は山口市が管理する香山公園となっています（隣に復興された新しい瑠璃光寺と五重塔は無関係で五重塔は山口市が管理しています）。近年山口市は五重塔前の池の周辺で繁茂していた樹木の伐採や枝の剪定を行いました。その結果他の樹木の中に埋もれていた庭の主木である松がきちんと見えるようになりました。さらに池の護岸石組を組み直し枯滝石組や沈下型の石橋を築くなど大幅に雰囲気が変わり、以前は単なる公園の池のような印象でしたが、現在では五重塔を添景とする美しい日本庭園に生まれ変わっています。また正式な資料が残っていたのかは不明ですが池対岸中央に猪目型の石が据えられており「ハートの石」として観光客に人気を博しているようです。

◼︎名称：瑠璃光寺五重塔

◼︎住所： 香山公園　山口県山口市香山町7-1

◼︎公開時間：公園が公開されている時間内

◼︎TEL：083-934-6630　香山公園観光案内所（9:00~17:00)

◼︎駐車場：有り（無料）

◼︎アクセス：◦ＪＲ「山口駅」からバスで15分

　　　　　　　◦中国自動車道小郡ICから車で20分

"Ruriko-ji Five-storied Pagoda" Yamaguchi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture

The five-storied pagoda and Chisen kaiyu shiki garden built in 1442 during the Muromachi period convey the elegant culture of Mr. Ouchi, who once ruled Yamaguchi. The 31.2-meter-high Five-storied Pagoda (national treasure) has a beautiful Japanese-style roof covered with Japanese-style thatched bark, but it has a Zen Buddhist rigor somewhere. This Pagoda was built and Rurikoji Temple disappeared. Currently, only the five-storied pagoda remains and the site is Kozan Park managed by Yamaguchi City (the newly reconstructed Ruriko-ji Temple and the five-storied pagoda are unrelated. The five-storied pagoda is managed by Yamaguchi City). In recent years, Yamaguchi City has cut down trees and pruned branches that were growing around the pond in front of the five-storied pagoda. As a result, the pine tree, the main tree in the garden, which was buried among other trees, can now be seen properly. In addition, major renovations were carried out, such as reassembling the revetment stone group of the pond and building a dead waterfall stone group and a subsidence type stone bridge. As a result, it used to look like a pond in a park, but now it has been reborn as a beautiful Japanese garden with a five-storied pagoda. An ingot-shaped stone is placed in the center of the opposite bank of the pond, and it seems to be popular with tourists as a "heart stone".

◼︎ Name: Rurikoji Five-storied Pagoda

◼︎ Address: Kozan Park 7-1 Kozancho, Yamaguchi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture

◼︎ Opening time: Within the time when the park is open

◼︎TEL: 083-934-6630 Kozan Park Tourist Information Center (9: 00 ~ 17: 00)

◼︎ Parking: Available (free)

◼︎ Access: ◦ 15 minutes by bus from JR “Yamaguchi Station”

◦20 minutes by car from the Chugoku Expressway Ogori IC